Southeastern University has named Kent Ingle its next president. The appointment ends a 20-month search for the 75-year-old Lakeland university’s new leader. Southeastern University is the Assemblies of God’s largest university.
Ingle, 48, is currently dean of the College of Ministry at Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash., another Assemblies of God school. He will take the reins as president of the private liberal arts school on Feb. 1.
Wayne Blackburn, a member of the Board of Regents who chaired the Presidential Search Committee, says Ingle’s recommendation came in the wake of grueling interviews and expansive evaluations by both the committee and SIMA International, an executive search firm retained for the hunt.
Dr. Ingle surfaced as a credible candidate with a vision for the future, the academic credentials and an understanding of the university system, and a heart for students, says Blackburn, pastor of Lakeland’s Victory Church and a Southeastern University alumnus.
“It became clear that he was the person who could best lead Southeastern University into the future. I believe that, after Dr. Ingle familiarizes himself with Southeastern and its faculty, staff and students, he will move forward with a vision plan that will lead us toward an even higher level of excellence.”
Ingle has been a Northwest dean since 2004 and an ordained Assemblies of God minister since 1988. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism and a master’s in theological studies at Vanguard University of Southern California. He later earned a doctorate in ministry from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Mo.
Ingle’s experience includes eight years as a college professor and 15 years of pastoral leadership at two congregations — one in Los Angeles and the other in Chicago. Ingle and his wife, Karen, have three teenaged children who were adopted from Romania.
During the last 10 years, student population at Southeastern University has nearly tripled, numerous academic courses and programs were added to the curricula, and the 87-acre campus underwent a massive upgrade. Last spring, the university graduated its largest class ever, with 388 students receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees at commencement.
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